Bending the Long Arc of History (U.S. Presidential Election 2016)

Pictured at right: "We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." Martin Luther King, Jr. 1968

Here is the message I shared with students and educators at JCHS during an all-school gathering earlier today:

For nearly all of us something completely unexpected has happened. In response many of us are crying, angry, frustrated, or confused. Many others are celebrating, excited, hopeful, or emboldened. Completely unexpected.

Early this morning as I talked with Chanita (our young niece who now lives with us), I reassured her that there are many good people on both sides of the difficult campaign for president.
And the president is only one (one very significant to be sure, but still only one) leader among many leaders for our country.

I also told her that while none of us alone can control the outcome of a presidential campaign each of us can control how we treat others with kindness, whether we actively pursue justice, and when we stand up for our values.

Yesterday, I experienced my 15th presidential election. (I still remember my mom holding me up to help her pull the lever to cast her 1960 ballot.) Even as ​the conflicts from this year’s presidential campaign are so fresh in our minds, I am trying to take a long view of this election. To help me do that, I turned to a favorite book about the history of ​the ​Jewish seasons from Rabbi Yitz Greenberg.

He teaches: “History is full of the unexpected. ... How does one deal with experiences that do not fit —nay, challenge — one's categories of meaning? The agony of working them through is part of the record of Jewish spiritual heroism. ... It is easy to look back thousands of years [and] see the overarching vision of Judaism. It is more difficult in the midst of crisis and rebirth to predict what will emerge.”  He also challenged us, [though this generation] may not complete the work, [it] is not exempt from taking up the task of interpreting [lessons learned from the unexpected]." (Irving Greenberg, The Jewish Way: Living the Jewish Holidays, pp.28-29)

I drew some comfort from re-reading Greenberg's words about Jewish holidays as if written about American history and experience. In other words, it is difficult, in the midst of today's mixed emotions, to predict what will emerge. Still, this generation of students and teachers are responsible for taking up the tasks of interpreting the unexpected and advancing the future.

Greenberg added a closing thought, about a remarkable feature of Jewish holiday practices, “these​ celebrations are oriented toward human needs. The operating assumptions of each ​[holiday] day incorporate a fundamental affirmation of the dignity of humans. Although flawed and fallible, every human being is nevertheless precious.... ​[Enacting this value] is how Jews bring a perfect world closer."​ (Greenberg, p.31)

​That is our challenge, to remember that in public life both within and beyond our school community, each of must take responsibility to bending the arc of history toward responding to the needs of others and honoring the ​profound value​, unique character, and precious dignity of every human being.